Once Upon a Train Station
by justjoy
Summary: You never know who you're going to meet next. -dedicated to Crystalscar!-
1. Unexpected Meetings, Part I

DISCLAIMER: It takes me _ten minutes_ to draw even a small frame of manga. What do you really think?

**DEDICATION - to Crystalscar. Congrats on aging again!**

Author's Note: I _know_ I said I was on hiatus, but dedications override exams. Anyway, this is my first time dabbling in the world of Detective Conan/Case Closed and Magic Kaito, so my apologies if it's not very well done. Hope you enjoy, though!

* * *

><p>He walked away from the train station, tugging his baseball cap low with one hand to block the sun's glare while holding his phone in the other.<p>

" – of course I won't – "

A pause, then a snort as the reply came from the other side of the line.

"It's not like I go _looking_ for bodies, ahou! They just – "

The rest of the sentence was lost as the speaker walked straight into another person.

Hattori Heiji scowled as the phone fell to the ground with a clatter, cursing under his breath as he stooped down to pick it up, only for another pair of hands to beat him to it.

Well, at least it was still functioning – Heiji could clearly hear the crackle of Kazuha's voice practically exploding from the thing as the other figure straightened, the light from the screen reflecting off the other's familiar blue eyes as he handed the phone back to its owner –

Wait.

Heiji froze, his phone halfway to his ear, when he realized what he'd just seen.

_What –_

"KUDO?"

* * *

><p>Kuroba Kaito was having a rather good day, as far as things went.<p>

The morning at school had seen a repeat of what had long become routine to most of Class 2-B of Ekoda High School, although admittedly more satisfying than usual due to a brainwave regarding a certain pocket watch and a teddy bear. Rather a cute one too, if he were to say so himself; of course, Kaito had known better than to actually _mess_ with the time on said watch, though.

It was just not worth risking Hakuba's wrath, even for entertainment – annoying as he might be, the detective was definitely worth every ounce of his reputation, and Kaito couldn't be completely sure that he hadn't found out about the magician's utter _love_ for – well, um – _finny_ things.

Whistling absently, Kaito had decided to take a longer route home from school to pick up supplies. One which just happened to pass by the Beika train station.

Which had then led him to this… _fateful_ encounter.

So here he was now, grinning at the momentarily stunned Detective of the West.

For a moment, Kaito was _so _very sorely tempted to say 'Ladies and gentlemen, showtime!' – out of sheer curiousity at the reaction he would get, mind you, not any intention to declare that he was an internationally-wanted jewel thief.

Dismissing the thought almost immediately (_might be fun, but having one detective after me is quite enough already, thank you very much_), he waved his hand airily.

"Sorry, you must've mistaken me for someone else – Kudo, you said? Would that be the high school detective, Kudo Shinichi? You wouldn't be the first person to make the mistake, then." Kaito shrugged nonchalantly. "I guess I must really look like him – wouldn't know, though, since I've never _met_ him before."

Which was technically _not_ a lie, since he hadn't ever seen Kudo Shinichi before.

Well, at least not as Kuroba Kaito, anyway.

He stifled a small chuckle at the thought. _Details, details..._

"My apologies for knocking into you, though," he added as Heiji continued to gape at him, obviously shocked. _Can't blame him, really,_ Kaito thought to himself. The resemblance had surprised him as well, when he'd first dug out a picture of the high school detective after the clock tower heist.

The social niceties apparently cut quite clearly through the Osakan detective's shock, though, as he started abruptly, realized he'd been staring, and nodded sheepishly at Kaito as he lifted his phone again to finish the call.

Grin returning in full force, he flicked his hand in a well-practiced motion, and proceeded to juggle the multicoloured balls that appeared almost as if by magic.

Well, he didn't really have anything better to do now anyway – why not?

* * *

><p>"Jaa, Kazuha! See ya later – <em>ow!<em>"

Heiji snapped his phone shut with a click, still wincing slightly at Kazuha's indignant shriek at being cut off abruptly. "Stupid ahou," he muttered, shaking his head.

Beside him, Kudo's doppelganger raised an inquiring eyebrow, taking in Heiji's annoyed countenance – while juggling five balls quite deftly with obvious ease, the detective noted. "Girl trouble?"

He snorted. _As if. _"Nope, just a friend of mine who doesn't know when to stop talking."

"Oh, that kind? Yeah, I know quite a few of them." Then his eyes widened almost comically, as if just realizing something. "Wait, I haven't introduced myself yet, have I?" The balls disappeared with a fluorish, and the teen turned to Heiji with a small mock bow. "Kuroba Kaito, magician, at your service."

Heiji returned it with a small grin of his own. "Hattori Heiji, detective. Prettty neat things you've got going there, by the way," he added, nodding at the deck of cards that had now appeared from seemingly nowhere, arcing back and forth between Kaito's hands.

"Thanks – you're not too bad yourself, from what I hear," the magician replied. His gaze flickered briefly to Heiji's cap, apparently amused. "Didn't know you were a baseball fan though. Same here."

The detective's eyes lit up at the mention of one of his favourite topics. "Really? Who do you support?"

Kaito grinned.

"The Yoimuri Giants. You?"

Oh, this was going to be _interesting..._

* * *

><p><strong>END<strong>

* * *

><p>2nd Author's Note: And there you have it! This was somewhat based off Crystalscar's request for something featuring Heiji and Kaito. I might extend it someday if I have the time -<p>

3rd (and last!) Author's Note: - so do tell me what you think! Leave a review :D and thanks for reading!


	2. Unexpected Meetings, Part II

DISCLAIMER: Nope, still not mine. I'll check and get back to you in ten.

**NOTE: This is pretty much connected to the first chapter, so if you haven't read that yet...**

Author's Note: After that long, long, long... LONG hiatus (you get the point, I guess) - well, I'm back with the next instalment of this DC/MK oneshot. This part was originally meant to be included with the first piece, but it was too long and all, so I happily hacked it off. Enjoy... hopefully? (Oh, and note for a small reference to Movie 14, though no real spoilers.)

* * *

><p><strong>and on with the fic...<strong>

* * *

><p>They had been talking for almost a whole minute when Heiji turned and waved at a figure in the distance – Kaito couldn't see who it was. "Oi, chibi! Over here!"<p>

The magician quirked a small grin. "Do you go around calling all of your friends that, Hattori-kun?"

"Eh?" Heiji looked at him over his shoulder, apparently amused. "You mean 'chibi'? Oh, no, it's just the person I'm meeting today – all big brain and chibi body, eh?"

An irritated mutter came from somewhere behind Heiji, and Kaito noted that it sounded strangely familiar. "I distinctly recall telling you _not_ to call me that, Hattori. Repeatedly."

He racked his brains frantically for the answer, barely hearing Heiji's retort.

The realization of exactly _who_ the voice belonged to dawned on him just as a small figure walked around the detective.

Kaito didn't even need to look – he already knew what he would see.

_Tantei-kun._

Blue eyes met blue.

_Ah, _crap_._

* * *

><p>It was disconcerting to witness – like seeing double copies of Kudo, really.<p>

Heiji did the necessary introductions hurriedly. "Ku – ah, I mean, Conan-kun, this is Kuroba Kaito. Kuroba, Edogawa Conan."

There was a silence as both newly-introduced people stared at each other.

Despite himself, Heiji found himself explaining, although he wasn't sure if Kudo was actually listening.

"He says he's a magician. Knows quite a few neat tricks too. I just met him here today – bumped into him, actually. Thought that he was you... um, no, I mean your Shinichi-niichan for a moment back there." The Osakan detective laughed awkwardly at his own blunder. "Can't really blame me for that, can you?"

More silence.

Heiji couldn't help but wonder if it meeting your doppelganger was _really_ enough to traumatise someone into silence. Not that they were exactly alike right now...

...but still, it was disconcerting.

* * *

><p>Conan blinked. Once. Twice.<p>

Kaito could practically _see_ it all falling into place in the detective's mind: the magic tricks, the general appearance, and last but certainly _not_ least at all, the strong physical resemblance to one missing Kudo Shinichi.

The smile on his face barely flickered even as he cringed behind his Poker Face. _Damn._

_You know, _said the chirpy voice in his mind that sounded suspiciously like the one that suggested some of the more… ah, _fancy_ stunts to pull on Nakamori and his beloved Task Force, _if this were an anime, there should've been something like a 'ding' about now – oh, and the background should cut suddenly to black too, with a white line shooting behind him just for effect – _

He reached over (mentally, of course) and shut the voice up. _Not helping. Think, Kaito, _think_!_

Conan was opening his mouth to say something. "K – "

Hurriedly, Kaito reached over and clamped a hand down lightly on the small detective's head, as if feeling around for something. It worked – well, at least he _had_ managed to stop that sentence from going any further, although he was also now on the receiving end of one very annoyed glare.

Plastering a triumphant smile on his face, the magician withdrew his hand, holding out a rose with a flourish. "How about a present, Conan-kun? Look what I found in your hair – it's just like magic!"

The detective's eyes narrowed for a moment before widening back into childish innocence, complete with a completely adorable grin.

Well, at least he _supposed_ it would've been adorable to anyone who wasn't being confronted by the person most likely to put them behind bars.

_Note to self: don't hang around detectives. You never know who's gonna appear next. Like _another_ detective._

Kaito sighed internally.

Well, at _least _it was turning out to be an interesting day.

* * *

><p>Conan smirked internally. <em>Oh, so that's how he wants to play it?<em>

It really hadn't been too difficult to piece together. Plus he'd always had a way of knowing when Kid was anywhere around him; it was one of the few reasons he never took long to figure out Kid's pretence, unless he happened to be disguising as one Kudo Shinichi.

Not that the evidence would be enough to convince any jury on earth – it was altogether rather circumstantial, and probably would've been considered as 'jumping to conclusions', had the situation been any different.

But it wasn't. And since the other party was apparently happy to feign ignorance...

"Nice to meet you too, Kaito-niisan!" he chirped enthusiastically as he accepted the flower – white with a light pink sheen at the edges. A four-leaf clover was entwined around the long, thornless stem. "That was amazing!"

He had the satisfaction of watching Kid – no, _Kaito's_ – face twist rather comically in panic for a second, and he wondered if he himself was wearing what Haibara called his 'evil face'.

Even Hattori was staring at him, bug-eyed.

Conan reasoned (rather logically, in his opinion) that it really _wasn't_ his fault. Given the rather lousy run of mysteries he had been getting recently, this was even _better_ than solving cases or catching criminals – except that it wasn't really all that different, was it?

Fighting down the giggles that threatened to break free, the detective prattled on, seemingly oblivious to the reactions of the two teens. "Well, it _would_ have been, at least, if I hadn't already seen it up your sleeve right before that! Is that really the best one you've got? Although I have to give you points for not crushing the flower petals at all – how did you do that? And did you use ink to dye this one, or was it something else?"

His face split in a huge grin as he finished, unable to contain the triumphant smirk any longer. Oh, but this was _fun_.

Kaito actually looked amused by this point as he bent down and waggled a finger in front of Conan's face. "Now, now, Conan-kun! Like I told you, it's magic. And good magicians never reveal their secrets, do they?"

"But that's a shame, isn't it?" Conan couldn't believe how much he was actually _enjoying _this. "That means I'll never get to know how Kaitou Kid-san pulls off all the ridiculous tricks at his heists!"

Heiji cut in before Kaito had a chance to reply – which was just as well, Conan noted dryly, as the magician looked rather like he was choking on a fishbone or something.

"Oi, oi! Since when do you _ever_ talk about that stupid, annoying nuisance of a thief, Ku – ah, Conan-kun?"

"Oh, I just happened to think about how I haven't thanked him properly for helping all of us out during the disaster last month – remember the whole business with the airship, Heiji-niichan?" Conan smiled innocently up at the Osakan, who was looking more and more confused with each passing moment. "I would've gone to find him, but I don't know where he lives, and he hasn't had any heists recently, so I haven't even had a chance to see him!"

This time, Kaito beat Heiji to the chase, apparently having rediscovered his voice. "Ah, I'm sure Kaitou Kid already knows that you appreciate his help. He _is_ a magician, after all!" He grinned down at Conan, blue eyes dancing with mischief.

"But if you really want to see him in person... well, I'm sure that there'll be another heist soon – maybe Kid's just been busy with something else recently?" he suggested helpfully.

"Thanks for telling me that, Kaito-niichan!" Conan said as he considered this new information for a moment. _Of course – Ran's been busy with her college entrance applications all month. Why didn't I think of that sooner?_

Then another idea struck him.

"Say, Kaito-niichan..."

The magician turned to look at him. "Yes, Conan-kun?"

Conan wondered if this was what it felt like to be _evil_ – maybe he could understand why some people liked it so much.

The small detective grinned. "Want to attend the next Kid heist with me?"

* * *

><p>Heiji shook his head as he watched the pair talk. <em>I feel like I'm missing something.<em>

Kaito was now waving his arms in an obvious show of distress. "Ah, no – no, thank you, Conan-kun. I'll go by myself, really!"

"But it'll be fun, Kaito-niichan!" Kudo's expression was almost the same demonic-hellion one that he used when interrogating people. "And you can come with me to catch Kid if you want!"

The magician's expression was quickly passing into one of abject horror. "Really, that won't be necessary, Conan-kun – besides, I'll probably see you there anyway!"

The detective wondered what on _earth_, precisely, was going on.

_But then again... _

He looked from one person to the other.

_...I don't think I want to know, either._

* * *

><p>Their... um, <em>conversation<em> was abruptly interrupted by the sound of someone clearing his throat.

Startled, Conan looked up at his friend, suddenly realizing that he had nearly forgotten his presence for the past minutes.

"I'm supposed to give this to you, Ku – I mean, Conan-kun." Heiji was looking more and more nervous by the moment as he held out a small package. "It's from Kazuha."

His gaze was wary as it shifted from Conan to Kaito and back again. "Um... look, I'll have to leave soon, so I'll just drop by Megure-keibu's to give him some stuff before heading back. So I'll just leave the two of you to talk, ne? I'm sure you guys will get along just fine."

Then he disappeared, faster than a rabbit into a magician's hat.

Conan couldn't hide the small smirk as he watched his friend's back disappear into the crowd. _You have no idea, Hattori._

His gaze travelled back to the magician, still in the Ekoda High uniform. He actually looked slightly repentant – or maybe it was just regret at missing a potential victim for a prank. "Did we really scare him that badly, tantei-kun?"

Beside him, the detective was the very picture of a very small, very... well, _angelic_ angel. "I have no idea, Kaito-niichan!"

Both looked at each other, exchanging innocent looks before breaking out into identical grins.

_No idea at all._

* * *

><p><strong>END (For real - I think... hopefully. Blame the plunnies!)<strong>

* * *

><p>2nd Author's Note: In a somewhat-related sidenote, white roses mean innocencesilence in the Japanese flower language, while pink roses mean trust/confidence and clovers mean luck - other than the obvious relation to Kaito's surname, of course...

3rd (and last!) Author's Note: So there you have it. The bulk of this was written quite a while ago, so some things are probably a bit... off. Sorry 'bout that. And thanks to those who've reviewed/read/alerted/favourited and everything else so far - you guys rock my world. Anyway, hope you enjoyed it, and let me know what you think! (Off to write more now, jaa~)


	3. Unexpected Allies

DISCLAIMER: Thank goodness DC/MK doesn't belong to authors like me, otherwise there'd be so many hiatuses, then where would we be?

Author's Note: If anyone out there is still reading this, welcome back, and a thousand times thank you for your kind understanding and patience! It hasn't been an easy year for me, but I'd like to think that it's been a fruitful one at the very least. So no, I'm not dead yet. Yes, I'm still writing – and I'll be doing much more of it next month!

**NOTE: Important (and good) stuff coming up right below, please do read! (And sorry about the length!)**

This November, I'll be writing a 50,000 word novel in 30 days as a participant of the National Novel Writing Month 2012 – and I've decided to finally tackle that monster of a Detective Conan/Magic Kaito fic that some of you may have heard about. It's an AU centered around Shinichi and Kaito, along with Heiji, Ai, and (of course) the Black Organisation, especially Vermouth. The full synopsis can be found on my profile, as well as my NaNoWriMo-dedicated blog, where I'll be posting the fic itself as it's written, along with other interesting tidbits and information. The link is on my profile, but just in case: it's at _novel in construction DOT blogspot DOT com_, minus all the spaces. You're more than welcome to stop by, and do check back throughout the month as things progress!

Of course, it's all up to you – I completely understand if you choose not to read it now, because everything there will be raw and completely (dare I say it?) _un_edited, so it's probably not going to be the best work around. If all goes well, it'll eventually be edited and posted here on FFN, so you can wait till then to read it. But this is something really big and important for me, and I'd love all the support I can get. Thank you!

So here's the story, and I honestly do hope you like it. Because really? It's good to be back.

* * *

><p><strong>Warning: fic ahead!<strong>

* * *

><p>Kaito yawned.<p>

Right now, he did not care whether power was equal to voltage times current, nor what the names of the seven major crustal plates were, and he most certainly did not care whether the derivative of tangent x was secant squared x… or was it cosine… x…

There was a fly buzzing in his ear.

"Kuroba-kun."

Distantly, Kaito noted that – and wondered why – the fly sounded oddly like a certain British detective he knew.

"Class is over, Kuroba-kun. Unless you plan to camp in school tonight?"

Ignoring the annoying sounds, Kaito relaxed further into the cloth of the bag he was using as a makeshift pillow.

The buzzing was getting louder now, more insistent. "_Kuroba._ If you don't get up at this very moment, I'll – "

"Do what, Hakuba? Colour my hair green?" Kaito's head popped up like a jack-in-the-box – except with a wide, near maniacal grin as a small spray can of dye appeared in his hand with a small puff of smoke. "Despite how fun it may be to match each other, I must admit that pink is more my colour! And given that you didn't even have the decency to wake me up, you have no right to threaten me, do you?" he asked with a mischievous grin.

"To the contrary, Kuroba-kun. I did try." The detective sighed, straightening haughtily. "However, I saw no point in wasting the energy on an idiotic moron like you."

"Oh – is that so?" Poker Face hid Kaito's surprise at the statement – he had in fact been tired after a continuous week of nonstop preparations and practice, but to have stayed asleep even when woken…

"What British gallantry, my dear gentlemanly Hakuba! Should I… eh, thank you by colouring your hair pink to match those beautiful green stripes you already have?" he added, waving the spray can in his hand to accentuate the words.

"I – " the British detective spluttered, an infuriated flush reddening his face to contrast sharply with his once-blonde hair, still streaked green with dye from last night's heist. "Kuroba – you – ugh!" he finished inarticulately as he stormed off, exiting the classroom in an annoyed huff.

"Love you too, Hakuba!" Kaito called out after him, tones cheesy enough to raise goosebumps.

Even on his own arms.

Okay, he might have overdone it – _ow!_

Without warning, his jaw slammed almost painfully into the plastic surface of his desk, sending reverberating echoes throughout his skull.

Kaito looked up at his assailant pitifully, tears in his eyes. "What was that for, Ahoko? I was good, I resisted from colouring his hair even though I really wanted to, and it would've looked so good–"

To his mild surprise, his teasing didn't gain the usual reactions of annoyance – instead, he could see a spark of something approaching true fury glinting in Aoko's eyes. "What you did, Bakaito, was to be completely" – another whack – "and totally ungrateful and rude!"

"Wha –" Kaito slanted a glance at where Hakuba had been moments before, before turning back to his friend. "What do I need to thank Hakuba for?"

"He covered for you, you idiot!" Aoko was beyond irritated now – he swore her eyes were spitting little sparks of fire from their blue depths. "He told Aoyama-sensei you were ill from running through the rain during the – that – _Kid's_ heist yesterday, even though he didn't have to!" She spat the thief's name out fiercely, in near imitation of her father. "Otherwise, do you really think you'd be sitting here right now instead of being in detention or the discipline master's office?"

Kaito blinked. Hakuba did… _what?_

With this new piece of information, he reconsidered the situation; Hakuba must have guessed just how much work Kid had to have put in for yesterday's heist. It had run into the wee hours of the morning, and the sheer amount of reconnaissance and work he'd needed beforehand had really taken its toll, not to mention the fact that stealing and evading capture in general wasn't a walk in the park, no matter how much he made it seem to be.

His thoughts were interrupted rather abruptly by a sudden spike in the volume of Aoko's voice. "–and you had better go apologise to Hakuba-kun _right now_, or I swear on my mop that I'll–"

"Yeah, I think I will."

She stopped speaking abruptly, staring at him wide-eyed. "What... what did you say?"

"Going deaf, Aoko?" He grinned, swinging his bag onto his shoulder as he stood. "Gotta dash – detectives to meet and all that. See you tomorrow!"

She was still staring at him in shock as he waved jauntily before dropping out of the classroom window.

* * *

><p>Kaito brushed off the stray leaf that had gotten stuck to his uniform when he'd taken his "shortcut" – you had to love how trees grew in the most <em>convenient <em>places, like right outside class 2-B.

He settled down to sit on the lowest branch, leaning against the solid trunk. By his estimation, Hakuba would be coming through the gates in three minutes. Plenty of time.

Absently, he stroked the pigeon that had fluttered down to perch on his leg. Its white feathers were streaked with grey, nothing like the snowy doves Kid used for his tricks. "You're such a beautiful thing, aren't you?"

The pigeon gave a soft croon in response, preening under the attention.

Kaito laughed softly, some of the exhaustion fading away. "So vain. You're just like Hakuba."

He got a nip on his finger for that.

"Great, now I'm getting scolded by a bird too?" His baleful glare was ignored by the pigeon, who nestled more comfortably into the fabric of his uniform.

Kaito sighed, thinking over the mystery that was the British detective.

His relationship – friendship? rivalry? Whatever – his _thing_ with Hakuba had changed recently, and he still wasn't quite used to it. The detective had gone from accusing him of being Kid at every turn to being practically _possessive_ towards him, and now... Hakuba still did his very best to catch Kid at every single heist he attended, of course, but he'd almost become _helpful_ recently.

Like today.

It was simply _frustrating. _Hakuba was supposed to be boring, _predictable – _sure, he was still far less interesting than the midget Tantei-kun, but this was new, and Kaito wasn't quite sure what to do about it. Somehow, he had accepted that he couldn't prove that Kaito was Kid, and was content to leave it as such, an unspoken truce between them.

Kaito couldn't help but wonder why.

Then a spot of blonde caught his eye, and he looked over to see Hakuba walking out of the gates, punctual as always. The pigeon squawked in protest as he shifted, and he grinned, running a hand over its feathers one more time.

"Come on, let's go fetch our detective."

* * *

><p>Dropping lightly from the branch, he watched as Hakuba stretched out an arm to intercept the pigeon automatically, a longtime habit from raising his hawk. It landed obligingly, regarding the detective with beady eyes.<p>

Kaito spoke from behind the detective, startling him. "I think it likes you."

The pigeon cooed.

"I've always wondered how you get them to do these things," Hakuba said quietly, looking in wonder at the bird that stood tamely on his extended hand.

And there it was again, a subtle reference to Kid if you knew where to look. He'd never done much tricks with birds as Kaito before, because the classroom was far too enclosed and he didn't want to tire his doves out, but primarily because of their strong association with Kid.

He shrugged, walking to stand beside Hakuba. "Getting them to stay still is easy. Tricks are a bit more difficult. They just... listen to me, I guess."

As he spoke, the pigeon had trotted up Hakuba's arm to perch on his shoulder, and now it leaned over to peck at a few stray strands of Kaito's hair, earning a half-hearted scowl from the magician.

The detective seemed to be stifling a laugh at the bird's antics. "It definitely likes me. You wanted to talk to me about something, Kuroba-kun?"

"Oh, about that! Come with me to Beika." Kaito's expression brightened abruptly as he began herding Hakuba towards the train station. "I know some people you'd like to meet."

* * *

><p><strong>END (For now? For real? Don't ask me, I don't know either.)<strong>

* * *

><p>2nd Author's Note: Written with copious references to mangaluva's excellent entry on Hakuba in <em>Psychology Revision, <em>I highly recommend to any DC/MK writers wanting some inspiration or help with characterisation.

3rd (and last!) Author's Note: This chapter is dedicated to everyone who's asked for an expansion on the previous two, and especially to miss1n6 for her Hakuba request, which pretty much inspired it. I know it isn't exactly connected to the first two, but... well, who do _you_ think they're going to meet? *conspiratorial wink* Anyway, thank you for reading, do review and tell me what you think! See you next time, whether here or on the blog :D I'm off to continue plotting!


End file.
